


When Darth Vader Crashes A Rebel Party But Brings Cake

by Sm0lAvidReader



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Crack, Dad Vader, Echo Base (Star Wars), Gen, Gift Giving, Matching Party Hats? Yes, Not one but two cakes, Prince Luke Skywalker, Self-Indulgent, Spies, complete and utter crack, discord server inspired, failed attempt at baking, minor OCs - Freeform, space shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:27:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28718862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sm0lAvidReader/pseuds/Sm0lAvidReader
Summary: No one suspects Darth Vader with Birthday Cake, least of all Luke Skywalker and company. Wait a minute, what’s this about a son?
Relationships: Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader
Comments: 27
Kudos: 143
Collections: New SW Canon Server Works





	When Darth Vader Crashes A Rebel Party But Brings Cake

**Author's Note:**

> This was all inspired by @Tagandtaylor and @Steampunkunicorn. Someone typed Darth Vader's cake instead of Darth Vader's cape and here we are. Thank you.
> 
> Please enjoy the madness. I had the best time writing this and running with the ideas brought up in the server.

**A Few Weeks Before The Party**

Magnus had successfully infiltrated the rebellion a few months prior. No one had suspected the clumsy cook to be working for the nefarious Empire. In the rebels’ defense, Magnus hadn’t actually done anything besides collect info and keep people fed. They bumbled about the kitchen day in and day out waiting patiently for an assignment and that patience was about to pay off.

Lord Vader had contacted them. The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy had messaged Magnus personally. They were so excited to serve. It was good to know that the months spent on the frozen hellscape that was Hoth were not going to be wasted.

Magnus quickly sent over their updates on the activities of Alliance High Command plus Commander Luke Skywalker, the Empire’s Most Wanted. That boy had a sunshine personality that did not match his body count at all. Magnus was intimately familiar with the phrase looks can be deceiving but Skywalker still confused them. Oh well, they weren’t on Echo base to question things like that.

The Sith Lord seemed particularly interested in the news of the upcoming birthday celebration for Skywalker and the Princess of Alderaan. Magnus had plenty to tell considering it was their job to make the food and the event was highly anticipated. Once they had finished the information session, Magnus waited tensely for further instructions. Hopefully this time it would be more exciting than people watching and data acquisition.

They were rewarded with the line “I have a most important job for you.”

YES! Magnus was on the edge of their seat at this point. 

“I require that you sabotage any effort on the part of the rebels to make a birthday cake.”

“Yes, Milord.”

Magnus was crushed. Disappointment didn’t even begin to describe how they were feeling at the moment. Their big assignment as an imperial spy was to make sure the enemy couldn’t bake a cake. No one would ever believe them.

Sigh, no matter how disappointing, it was still a request from a very scary and important person. Magnus was going to do their absolute best. They were going to trip on the bag of flour so hard that none of it could be used. They were going to drop the yeast down the sink. The sprinkles would meet an unfortunate end in the kitchen’s oven and the frosting, well, no one could blame them for the frosting. That time their elbow hit the tube on accident. 

No celebratory cake baking would be happening on Magnus the spy’s watch.

* * *

**On the Executor**

Darth Vader looked down at the lumpy cake-shaped object sitting on the table. He had meticulously attempted to follow his mother’s recipe, the only one he knew. When he was a child, he remembered the joy of getting to have such a rare and delicious treat. Shmi Skywalker had only gotten one chance to bake a birthday cake and had spent all year saving up to buy the necessary ingredients. Vader figured his son would appreciate something passed down from his grandmother. 

Unfortunately, baking did not fit into Darth Vader’s repertoire of skills. The soot-covered kitchen and the stormtrooper in the corner with a white-knuckle grip on the fire extinguisher bore evidence of that. After four hours of disasters, the Sith Lord finally made something that looked vaguely edible and placed it on the table for his taste tester. 

Commander Cody of the 501st had been the first one willing to taste the “cake”. It had been a very long time since he had seen the general this excited about anything. The Sith Lord had taken care of Cody’s brothers and given them a place to belong when the galaxy changed. If taking part in party preparations helped to give Darth Vader some measure of happiness then Cody would do his part. Plus he was curious about the general’s son and it wouldn’t do for the kid to get food poisoning on his birthday.

Darth Vader watched anxiously in his Kiss the Sith apron as Cody took a piece off the side and placed it in his mouth. The clone’s face immediately twisted into a grimace at the taste. He lifted a napkin to his mouth and spit the piece back out. 

“I’m sorry sir but this cake does not remotely taste like dessert.”

Darth Vader sighed. Maybe it was time for Plan B. He had already announced the news of his son’s existence to those he trusted aboard the Executor. He would ask for their input on the issue of the cake.

* * *

It turned out that the Imperial brass had strong opinions when it came to choosing an appropriate birthday cake flavor. The meeting had quickly devolved into an intense argument between the supporters of marble cake headed by General Maximillian Veers and the chocolate chili powder cake group led by Admiral Firmus Piett.

Piett insisted that Skywalker’s Outer Rim background translated into an appreciation for the spicy things in life. Veers countered with the claim that chili in a birthday cake was ridiculous, marble cake being the obviously superior option. The Navy personnel backed their Admiral with extreme prejudice while the Army men spit insults on behalf of their General. One brave individual suggested a strawberry-flavored cake in the midst of the fighting but they were viciously torn down by both sides in under two minutes. 

Darth Vader stood by in amusement as the cake argument then escalated into a screaming match over what the Imperial Prince would like best for his birthday. In the chaos, the troopers were volunteered for a birthday song performance, the birthday banner idea was vetoed, a plan was hatched to decorate the AT-AT’s with paintball guns, someone signed up the engineering division to make everyone matching birthday party hats, glitter was banned in exchange for confetti, and the people staying aboard the Executor complained about being left out of the festivities. It seemed like everyone wanted to help crash the party. The long hunt for Skywalker had left the crew of the Executor in the mood for a much-needed break. Unthinkably, the Imperials completely forgot that Darth Vader was still in the room.

The Sith Lord did not interfere in the creative brainstorming session until the arguments started to get a tad too physical in nature. Darth Vader then did what he does best, be dramatic. He used the force to lift the briefing table in order to slam it back down with a bang. Every person in the room jolted before giving themselves whiplash in turning to stare at the cyborg in the corner.

Admiral Piett and General Veers immediately started to apologize but Darth Vader stopped them with a wave of his hand. He strode to the head of the table to address the room’s occupants.

“While I appreciate your enthusiasm, the conversation has drifted away from the original topic. I approve of Admiral Piett’s cake suggestion. However,” Vader paused to let people shift uncomfortably, “A second cake is fitting for my son. We will bring both.”

The same brave individual who suggested strawberry earlier asked “Sir, where are we going to get two cakes and the rest of the party supplies for the Prince?”

Immediately a tense silence filled the room. Was a murder about to happen?

Darth Vader stared at the officer blankly, noting that their name was Ro. He was actually contemplating the question and not planning Ro’s death but it was fun to make people sweat. 

“It appears that we must make a supply run. Admiral, where is the nearest system that contains a bakery, paintball guns, and a decorations store?”

* * *

**Supply Run to Parci Ty in the Convi Nent System**

**Mission One: Bakery**

Darth Vader strode to the bakery accompanied by a squadron of four troopers. Their names were Riley, Steam, Yan, and Tag. Commander Cody stayed behind to rehearse the harmony for 501st’s planned Happy Birthday performance. ****

Vader had insisted on picking out the cakes and decorations personally. Nothing but the best was acceptable for his child. He wanted to make a good first impression after all. The troopers were present as a soundboard for when he had to choose things like confetti, paint, and wrapping paper. Padme had been the one with the color coordination skills, not Anakin Skywalker.

The group of five entered the mostly empty bakery looking like a grim reaper backed by a firing squad. Miguel, the baker at the counter, stared in shock as the Sith Lord approached him to inquire about cake flavors. He automatically agreed to bake whatever flavor Darth Vader asked for. What was Miguel supposed to do, say no?? To the very being who exemplified the Empire’s might? A spicy chocolate cake was not worth his life thank you very much.

Despite feeling quite faint, Miguel gathered himself enough to very timidly ask the appropriate follow-up question. “What type of cake decorations would you like?”

Darth Vader seemed to pause for an uncomfortable length of time before responding. “What are the options?”

Instead of speaking, Miguel shakily pointed to the glossy booklet of decoration examples sitting on the right end of the counter. That same booklet suddenly and inexplicably flew through the air to land in Darth Vader’s grip before being handed to an excited Tag. The other three troopers huddled around the booklet holder and playfully argued about the best options as Tag leafed through the pages. Each memorized their favorite pages to present to Lord Vader.

Tag went first, turning the page to a golden crown and offering it to the Sith for careful inspection. Next, Yan presented a plain cake with the words Happy Birthday but in fancy script. A classic option. Riley, however, picked something a little more personal. The icing spelled out My Little Boy. That option made Vader’s heart flutter. Finally, Steam couldn’t choose just one and flipped to both an Imperial Cog and a Tie Fighter flying through space.

The whole process was like watching a line of toddlers showing off their favorite crayon drawings to the daycare babysitter.

Darth Vader took a few minutes to ponder the troopers’ input before deciding to mix and match. He turned to the still shaking baker and ordered. To send a strong message, the primary chocolate chili powdered cake would have a grey background with the Imperial Cog in black. The secondary cake, on the other hand, would have a white frosting background and be decorated with both a golden crown and the words My Little Prince in fancy script.

Once the specifications were made and Miguel gave his assurances that the cakes would be completed before the end of the day, the group left to tackle part two of their supply run.

Miguel didn’t even have the heart to mention that the troopers still had the booklet.

* * *

**Mission Two: Party Decorations**

The automatic doors parted to reveal Darth Vader in all his black-caped glory, one hand on hip and the handle of a neon pink shopping basket nestled in the crook of his other elbow. The four assistant troopers were each pushing equally neon pink shopping carts behind him. They walked into the store like they owned it. One could almost hear mysterious background music that may or may not be known as The Imperial March.

Vader immediately accosted the nearest worker for directions. He has no time to get lost.

“Where would one find things such as confetti and streamers in this place,” he glanced at her name tag which read Caterina,“...Cat.”

She responded, in a deadpan voice. “Aisle 17 sir.”

They leave her without so much as a thank you. Cat narrows her eyes at their backs and mumbles under her breath, “Cosplayers sure are getting bold.”

Luckily for Cat, the Sith Lord didn’t hear her on account of being wrapped up by all the possible choices awaiting him. Was he going to admit that party decorations intimidated him? No way, not when he could just pretend that he knew what he was doing. Thank the force that no one could see his confused face behind the mask.

“Hmm… colors. Blue?” 

“Baby Blue sir,” Riley chirps.

Tag chimes in with their two cents, “and yellow!”

In the background, Yan and Steam nod their heads in approval. Vader takes note of this and decides to trust in the color scheme. However, he can’t appear too hasty so he tilts his helmeted head as if in deep thought and counts to ten.

“Acceptable.”

This is generally how the entire affair goes. Vader reads off the shopping list he was given, the troopers grab the necessary items, Vader considers or pretends to consider, and then the items go into the carts or back on the shelves.

Star-shaped blue and yellow confetti? Perfect for his Little Star. Check.

Wavy streamers in the same colors? Check.

Party Poppers? Vader almost said no but the troopers all turned to look at him, helmets tilted up and somehow conveying pleading eyes that rivaled tooka kits. Sigh. Check.

Blue banner paper plus yellow paint? Vader could have sworn the party banner idea was vetoed but oh well. Check.

Glitter? The Sith read that in an incredulous tone before shuddering. Hard no. It’s like sparkly sand. Even the dark side of the force is wary of glitter. That stuff gets everywhere. No check.

Wrapping paper and ribbon for the respectable (cough insane) amount of presents for the Imperial Prince? This time it’s Steam who speaks up and suggests navy blue paper and gold ribbon. Hearing no counter-argument from the rest of the soundboard, Vader agrees. Check.

Polka Dotted Party Hats? The engineering department was very specific with its numbers when it came to the necessary materials needed to make all of the matching hats. It took a bit of extra work and there was hardly anything left for other customers but Check.

By the time the group was ready to head to the checkout area, they had amassed a veritable mountain of supplies. They also needed more than four carts. Therefore, the other occupants of the store witnessed a once in a lifetime sight. Darth Vader using the force to pull neon pink carts? In your party supply shop? It’s more likely than you think.

* * *

Now there happened to be a mother and son duo heading toward the same checkout lane as Vader and company. The little boy tugged on his mother’s clothes to get her attention.

“Mommy Mommy look at all that stuff!” 

The mom did a double-take. “Kriff… it's rude to stare honey so let’s just turn around and make our way over there.” 

This logical choice did not make sense to the child. 

“But why Mom?”

“Because there are lollipops six checkout lanes over so if you keep quiet I’ll get you one.”

“Okie Dokie.”

* * *

Their cashier was the very same Cat who had been accosted earlier. She stared at Vader and his troopers’ multiple carts with visible grief. 

Turning her eyes to the heavens she declared, “I hate double shifts.” 

Nevertheless, Cat began the arduous task of scanning every item as quickly as possible. Was she expected to bag all of this? Wait... the store had large neon green boxes for the rare occasion that bags were insufficient. Of course, Cat thought with disdain, it had to be the weirdo dressed as that Vader dude who caused this mess.

She hit the shiny never before used last resort button on the register before speaking into the intercom. The tinny voice of her coworker Vox could be heard replying “How many boxes do you need again? Military cosplayers? Now, this I gotta see.”

Ignoring the conversation, Riley tilted their helmet quizzically at Lord Vader and his still empty pink basket. It had stayed on his arm the entire time.

“Sir, did you mean to get something separate with that basket?”

“No.”

Darth Vader had only grabbed the pink basket to complete the aesthetic of their earlier dramatic entrance. Not that he would explain his reasons. 

In the end, the group bought both the neon carts and the basket in addition to the supplies. The Imperial accountants were going to be highly confused on why these purchases were under the military business account but that’s a problem for the future.

Cat and Vox had previously missed the shopping carts being moved via invisible space wizard magic but that was rectified as the group of five left with their goodies.

“Not gonna lie, the level of dedication to the role is impressive. Vox? Why are you passed out on the floor?”

* * *

**Mission Three: Paintball Guns**

By the time they stopped in front of the paintball emporium, the troopers were starting to lag a bit. Shopping for hours was mentally tiring. 

Vader noticed the waning enthusiasm and quickly thought of a plan. 

“I will personally watch over the supplies while you four enter the store. You are allowed to pick out any guns and colors you desire. Do not disappoint me.”

The troopers immediately perked up. So little limitations!!! They promised to not set anything on fire before sprinting into the shop. Tag, in particular, was cackling madly.

Darth Vader waited outside for an hour and a half during which he contacted Admiral Piett for transport. Piett was too nervous to ask about the several unidentified screams and loud crashing noises in the background of the call. As promised, no smoke came from the building so the Sith Lord didn’t mention the noises either.

Eventually, four rainbow blobs in the shape of Stormtrooper armor emerged with crates of guns and paintballs. Their joy was palpable.

“We made sure the equipment was functional, sir.”

“I would never have guessed.”

Vader then handed over the pink basket to a paint colored Steam so that they could carry the cake booklet in it. The troopers were even more excited that they had several souvenirs to remember the trip by.

Lastly, Darth Vader returned to the bakery to pick up the finished cakes while the troopers worked on loading up the party supplies. He made sure to leave a large tip for the baker to cover the cake booklet, the short time frame, and the fear he caused. He may be a Sith Lord but he isn’t rude, normally.

**Missions Complete**

* * *

**A New Problem on the Executor**

There was an extra snag in the party planning. An unforeseen problem.

No, it wasn’t the Birthday Song performance. Those rehearsals were going great.

Party Hat building and distribution were proceeding as scheduled.

It wasn’t the birthday banner. The paint was drying and the perfect place to hang it was already found. Soon it would grace the bridge.

The paintball decorations were a little hectic but fantastic. Stormtrooper armor and AT-AT’s have never looked so festive. General Veers even figured out how to spell Happy Birthday on the sides of the vehicles. No problems here.

It also couldn’t be the cakes since they had a top-notch security detail. Plus everyone knew that Vader would immediately dispose of those foolish enough to mess with the desserts.

So what exactly was the new problem? Darth Vader was about to find out. 

As the Sith Lord opened the doors to one of his workshops, he was met with a wall of items. Quick use of the Force prevented him from being buried in a pile of colorful gift boxes.

Ah, he forgot that he had left this room open after the Admiral had informed him that several people wanted to know where they could put their birthday presents for the Prince. Vader just hadn’t expected quite this many.

Truthfully, his precious son deserved all of these gifts and more. Still, trying to bring everything to the rebel base would be a hassle and there was safety to be considered. Vader wouldn’t doubt that somewhere in the pile was something sinister.

He had two days. It would be enough for him to sort through every gift and rewrap the ones he approved of. Hmm… three piles, one for taking with, one for staying on the Executor, and one for absolutely not. A surprise fourth pile was later formed during the sorting.

* * *

The “Taking With” pile included items such as:

A black cape modeled after Vader’s own. The Sith Lord approved of this because he wanted them to match.

A brand new set of shiny black boots. Obviously, this item was going with because the quality of Rebel footwear was probably abysmal. Besides, all decent force wielders need good boots.

A scaled-down Executor figurine. If Luke was anything like his father then he would appreciate the accurate ship model. It was also fun to fly it around and make noises. Not that Vader spent ten minutes doing that or anything.

And a fuzzy sweater with a matching pair of mittens decorated with Porgs. The Sith Father personally despised Porgs but winter clothes were important. His son was on Hoth! He could catch a cold.

* * *

The “Stay On Ship” pile, on the other hand, had things like:

A moisturizing kit and eyeliner. Any desert-bred person would appreciate a good moisturizer. Anakin Skywalker himself had an extensive skincare routine back in the day. One also couldn’t go wrong with eyeliner. However, it would stay on the ship due to the possibility of being frozen.

A crate of grenades and flashbangs. The troopers were most likely responsible for this. While Vader fully believed they could aid his son in the time-honored fashion of dramatic entrances, he admitted that bringing such items into a hostile base was a bad idea. Contrary to popular belief he knew the difference between bad and good ideas. Sometimes he just chose the bad ones anyway.

A playlist with the description Darth Vader breathing remix (ASMR version and lullaby version included), Sith Lightning, and other limited edition songs like the Ewok Bash. The clone troopers were definitely responsible for this one. Vader wasn’t even going to try to figure out what the description meant.

A sky blue dress. He thought it was rather pretty and might match his son’s eyes. It would be left to Luke to decide what to do with it.

A stormtrooper snuggie. It looked incredibly soft and seemed warm. Somehow, though, Darth Vader did not see the design going over very well if his son was to unwrap it while still on the base. It was incredibly close to being put in the first pile anyway. 

And a generic heap of assorted rings, necklaces, land deeds, marriage proposals, and elaborate headdresses. Once again, Luke would have to make decisions here. Vader was both disturbed and proud of the marriage proposals. No one could ever be good enough for his son.

* * *

The surprise new pile was titled “HOW?? I DON’T? I CAN’T?” and consisted of one singular gift.

A baby Krayt Dragon.

* * *

Finally, the “Absolutely Not” pile contained the following cursed items (ranked from least to most cursed):

A Darth Vader Waffle Maker™. Who in the universe was making their kids waffles in the shape of his helmet? It was just weird.

A Darth Vader Blender™. Another one? Who is making these themed kitchen appliances? The actual Darth Vader would like to have a word. No one asked his permission and he didn’t think he was getting royalties either. 

A book titled _The Importance of the Tarkin Doctrine_. To Vader’s disappointment, the book did not consist of a bunch of empty pages. Important? More like Irrelevant and Irritant.

A hideous pair of Palpatine Socks™. Seems more like torture than a well-meaning gift. At least the kitchen appliances had style. No one wants to wear the face of a man who claimed that the attack on his life left him scarred and deformed. Did they tune out the scarred and deformed part?

A Palpatine Toilet Seat Cover™. Who is licensing this stuff? Scarred and deformed remember. This is tacky and ew. Vader is envious that droids can have their memory wiped.

And the most cursed thing to exist in any universe is a pair of Jar Jar Binks Crocs. Darth Vader considered this to be on par with an attempted assassination. What level of Sith Hell did one have to come from to create such an atrocity?

* * *

**The Day of the Party**

The day began like any other day on Hoth’s Rebel Base. It was below freezing, beyond boring, and any eye spy game was inevitably abandoned because the landscape was ice, ice, and wait for it… more ice. Whoever complained about the indignities of sand had never suffered the experience that was the unforgiving tundra. 

Thankfully, the rebels had a source of entertainment planned for lunch hour. The seemingly ordinary day was the birthdate of the Rebellion’s own Princess Leia Organa and Commander Luke Skywalker. Given the enormity of their roles in the rag-tag group, nearly everyone on base wanted to be a part of the celebrations. Patrols were lightened and schedules altered. The carved-out ice halls echoed with the cursing of the unlucky few whose failures in rock-paper-scissors left them out of the party. 

Luke and Leia had found their shared birthday a fun coincidence and didn’t mind boosting morale or sharing a celebratory meal. Unfortunately, the rarity of supplies meant that a birthday cake was out of the question but the rebels more than made up for it with their enthusiasm. The Princess took every rousing cheer and increasingly off-key bursts of song with the grace of royalty. Skywalker, on the other hand, could be found either grinning brightly or blushing at the sincerity of his comrades’ well wishes.

The entire group was so involved in the party that they missed the commotion in the halls until it was far too late. Someone repeatedly shouted “Quiet” as the noise levels slowly died down enough for the rebels to hear the timed marching beat of imperial troops. Thudding footsteps were further accompanied by the sound of heavy mechanical breathing. It was a nightmare come true.

Several people, including the Princess, wasted no time in unholstering their blasters and aiming them at the entrance to the mess hall. Luke stood beside his friends with one hand placed carefully on his Father’s lightsaber. Artoo readied his electroshock prod while Threepio muttered in the corner. The atmosphere had quickly soured from joy to resigned anticipation. They would fight to the end even if the odds were grim against the Empire’s Fist.

Darth Vader strode into the area with confidence, black cape curling behind him dramatically. Instead of brandishing his infamous red lightsaber, the Sith Lord was holding a chocolate chili powder birthday cake decorated with the Imperial Cog. There was also a lopsided polka-dotted party hat placed on top of his helmet to complete the look.

No one shot but no one lowered their weapons either. The dazed rebels merely watched in astonishment as brightly painted troopers streamed in and formed a semi-circle around Vader. A few were carrying what appeared to be wrapped gifts and one trooper was holding a second cake. Marble cake this time and painstakingly decorated with yellow icing. Every single multicolored soldier had matching party hats.

Luke broke the awkward silence by asking what every other rebel was thinking. “Is that a birthday cake?”

Darth Vader’s tinted lenses quickly found the speaker. He met Luke’s incredulous gaze and tilted his helmet in acknowledgment. There was another beat of silence punctuated only by the sound of Vader’s iconic wheezing before the man began to sing. The stormtroopers assisted their commander by harmonizing.

“Happy Birthday To You.”

_Heavy Breathing._

“Happy Birthday To You.” 

_Heavy Breathing_.

“Happy Birthday Luke Skywalker!”

_Heavy Breathing_

“Happy Birthday To You.”

The empty-handed troopers added flourish to the end of the song by performing jazz hands. A few troopers even threw confetti into the air and pulled the strings on party poppers. They made sure to avoid the cakes, of course.

Upon hearing his name, Luke Skywalker paled to the same shade of white as the walls behind him. He was unbearably embarrassed and completely confused. What in the Force was going on?

Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, Terror to Rebels Everywhere, then announced in a tone that invited no argument. 

“I wanted to celebrate the birthday of my son.”

* * *

All that brings the timeline down to one incredibly tense table. On one side sits Luke Skywalker who is absentmindedly eating two pieces of cake while his rebel friends stand protectively behind him. He also has a party hat on but he couldn’t tell you when or how it got there if he tried. The other side seats Luke’s self-proclaimed father, Darth Vader, who is wrapping up his explanation of recent events and exactly why Luke is his son. The troopers form a semi-circle to try and keep curious rebels from overhearing.

It’s the strangest hostage situation that’s not really a hostage situation the rebels have ever been a part of.

Luke makes a point to thank the imperials for the cakes, gifts, and all the trouble they went through. Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen raised him with proper manners and he won’t fail their memory by being inhospitable to a group that has not acted maliciously since they arrived. His brain is still struggling to wrap around the reasons for the subversion of his expectations but that’s no excuse to be rude.

Suddenly, one trooper by the name of Dome breaks formation. They present a datapad to the individuals seated at the table. It’s a live video feed of the bridge of the Executor. Admiral Piett signals the large mob, all wearing the same birthday hats, behind him and they all wish Luke a Happy Birthday. 

Luke blushes and responds with a thank you in turn. He has no idea that his politeness has unwittingly charmed just about everyone around him.

He turns to Vader, wide-eyed, and asks, “Who didn’t you tell?”

But before the Sith could answer, something catches Luke’s attention on the screen. It’s the banner or more specifically the words Imperial Prince on the banner. He looks at the second cake and sees the word prince again. Then back to the banner. It registers and his jaw drops.

Luke squeaks out, “I’m not...that’s not...Prince?”

Darth Vader assures Luke, “Yes, you are but you don’t have to be for long,” _heavy breathing_ , “I can get you the entire Empire by your next birthday.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry Luke but your Dad will make you Emperor in a heartbeat. He's your problem now.
> 
> Thank you to @Vox_Panica for providing me feedback and assuring me that I'm funny. Also for this art of Vader's dramatic entrance https://bad-art-with-vox.tumblr.com/post/640139980650446848/accompanying-art-for-smolavidreaders-birthday
> 
> For those on the server, thank you for letting me use your names and for being supportive.
> 
> Lastly, feel free to scream at me about what you liked.


End file.
